Prince of the Rebellion
by ReggaeBear
Summary: Lelouch doesn't renounce his claim to the throne. Remaining as a Prince, he realises the corruption due to his father's rule. Years later, he is sent to Japan, newly christened as Area Eleven, which is under the governance of Clovis la Britannia. However, he also takes up the mantle of Zero but the core members of the Order of the Black Knights knows his identity.


**This story is co-written by me, ReggaeBear and Scribe426. We hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Code Geass.**

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The hall was filled with various lords and ladies, all of them dressed in their finest. A quiet roar filled the air, keeping the large chamber from being silent. It was only down the middle of the room that not a soul stood. Instead, a red carpet led the way from the door to the foot of the ruler of Britannia, Emperor Charles zi Britannia.

Petition Day had arrived once again and as always, dozens of people arrived to speak. Most of the time, the topic was dull and solved quickly. Today, however, was a rare exception. Today one of the Emperor's own children was to speak. And not just any child. No, it was to be Lelouch vi Britannia, seventeenth heir to the throne.

For any one of the heirs to come to Petition Day was rare enough. The last time Lelouch appeared had yet to be forgotten. That it was one considered disgraced was even more interesting. Many people had asked around but no one knew why the young Prince was coming today. Needless to say their excitement only rose as the time drew nearer for Lelouch's arrival.

"Announcing Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of Britannia and seventeenth heir to the throne," the herald said.

The minute the words left his mouth the room fell silent and all eyes were glued to the young man walking through the doors. The last time he had appeared in this way Lelouch had been but ten. An extraordinarily confident ten year old but a child nonetheless. Now seventeen, he had grown into a fine young man. His confidence, almost laughable before, now suited him as well as the fine clothes he was wearing. His face was impassive, very unlike the steely determination it had shown before. Yet if one looked close enough they could see a glint in his eyes, an emotion that no one could quite nor really wanted to identify.

"My Lord Father," Lelouch said grandly, giving the appropriate bow. "I come before you today with a request." The room immediately filled with noise again as the nobles began to wonder amongst themselves what the request could possibly be.

"Oh?" Charles said, raising an eyebrow. He was just as intrigued. "And what would that be?"

"Seven years ago my sister and I were sent to Area Eleven or as it was called then, Japan," Lelouch started carefully. A few gasps were heard as the Emperor narrowed his eyes but Lelouch continued. "Since then, Britannia has added it to its great Empire. My sister and I returned home and all was well, for there is no place we would rather be. Yet I hear of it often on the news and cannot help but think on it."

The room was silent. Everyone knew what Lelouch was talking about. Of all the countries Britannia had taken over, Area Eleven offered the greatest resistance. Rarely did a week go by that they did not hear of yet another terrorist attack. More often than not there were Britannian fatalities, only increasing the worry of those in the homeland. It had been seven years since they had conquered Area Eleven. Shouldn't all signs of rebellion have ended by now?

Rumors abounded as to why it still continued. The most common were those of incompetence at the hands of the Britannian government there. Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince, was the Viceroy. He was well loved by the people, yet they questioned his military expertise. That he was doing his job was not the question but rather it was how _well_ he was doing it. As the attacks still continued, it seemed obvious that he wasn't doing very well at all. Yet no one dare say that out loud, especially not near the Emperor. To slander the name of one of his children could be considered treason. So they remained silent.

"Your request, boy," Charles barked, his knuckles white as he gripped the arms of his throne. "I don't have all day to listen to your pretty words."

"Of course, my Lord," Lelouch said, accenting it with another bow. "As I was saying, I think about Area Eleven often. As I was there before our occupation, I cannot help but wonder how much the country has changed. I sometimes hear from an old friend of mine but it isn't the same as seeing it for myself. My request is that my sister and I be allowed to return for a visit, to be allowed to see how the country has improved and perhaps see Kururugi Suzaku, the friend I mentioned before."

The tension in the room increased yet again at the mention of that name. Kururugi Genbu was the last Prime Minister of Japan before Britannia's invasion. His suicide was thought to be part of the reason the rebellion still existed and his son, Suzaku, a possible rallying cry. To mention the name so carelessly was dangerous.

The Emperor, however, knew better. The look in his son's eyes proved that mentioning young Kururugi was no mistake. Though his father was the start of the rebellion, Suzaku himself had shown no sign of following in his footsteps. He had been awarded status as an Honorary Britannian and was now a part of the military. While outwardly Lelouch was asking to see his friend, in reality it would be a chance for the hope of the rebellion to be seen side by side with one of the Princes of the Empire. A sign of solidarity that might diminish the whatever fight the local people had left. The Emperor repressed the urge to laugh. His son was very good.

"I see no reason to deny your request," Charles said at last. Lelouch stood even straighter, his eyes dancing in triumph. "I will inform Clovis of your visit. You can expect to leave within the week."

"Thank you, father," Lelouch said with yet another bow. "Your generosity is much appreciated. I will tell my sister the good news. If you will excuse me."

With another bow Lelouch turned and walked again down the red carpet. The hall erupted into noise, the nobles all shocked that such a request was granted. So caught up in their own whispering and wondering, no one noticed the smirk on Lelouch's face.

Everything was going according to plan.

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All governments have their secrets. In some ways they would be unable to function without them. The public knows nothing of them. People suspect, of course but those people are dismissed as crazy conspiracy theorists and largely ignored. And so the public stays ignorant to their government's secrets.

Yet there are some secrets even the government is ignorant to. Secrets hidden so carefully by people within that no one would ever be able to find them, even if they looked. Those are the secrets that have the power to change the world. Those are also the secrets that are liable to get someone killed.

It was such a secret that Kururugi Suzaku feared he had stumbled upon. Suzaku ran an anxious hand through his hair, staring blankly at the papers in front of him. Needless to say, they weren't his papers. Somehow, he had been given a desk job for the past few days, a thankless task for any soldier. All he had to do was sort through the papers by month and year. The old papers was to be boxed and put into storage, the newer ones to be put to the side for further sorting. After spending hours on the mindless task, Suzaku had come across something interesting. It was a single folder, no label on it and certainly nothing else useful. So Suzaku did the next logical thing.

He opened the folder.

At first he was sure it had been misplaced. The folder was filled with what looked like medical files, things like doctors' notes and test results. But the more Suzaku read, the more shocked he became. Yes, they were notes and test results. But they weren't the kind that came from any doctor. It was more like the journal of a scientist. The folder had slipped out of Suzaku's hands then as realization coursed through him. This folder held the results of an experiment. An experiment that was done on a human being. And an experiment that was, apparently, being done in absolute secrecy.

Suzaku took a deep breath, his mind racing. What was he supposed to do now? The easiest thing would be to tuck the folder into a box and pretend that he had never seen it. But the easy thing was not always the right thing. Suzaku felt he couldn't just turn the other way, not when he knew that there was someone out there being used as a lab rat.

Resolved, Suzaku began to read through the folder again. He didn't understand everything, much of it shorthand or technical jargon no one but those involved knew. What he did understand that almost everything being done to this poor person was extremely painful. And illegal, if he was remembering his human rights correctly.

"What am I doing?" Suzaku muttered even as he continued to read. Instinctively he knew this was something he shouldn't know about. _No one_ was supposed to know about it. Even a Britannian would face severe punishment for finding out about this. And he, as an _Honorary_ Britannian…he had practically signed his death warrant just by opening the folder.

With a sigh, Suzaku allowed his eyes to drift back to the top of the page. Then he straightened in surprise. It was dated last year. Quickly flipping through the folder again, Suzaku saw there was nothing newer than last year, some a year older than that. If the reports were that old then…was the test subject even still alive? Or had they finally submitted to the torture they were experiencing? No, Suzaku thought with a fierce shake of his head. He couldn't think like that. He had to approach this under the assumption the test subject was still alive. And do what about it, exactly? He was only a single person whose presence was barely tolerated with minimum knowledge of a secret government experiment. Anything he did would be monitored and looked over. He would never be able to learn or do anything without alerting the people he wanted to avoid. At the moment, the best option seemed to be to wait.

"But then…" Suzaku whispered through gritted teeth, images of what he had read flicking through his mind. The longer he waited, the less likely it was the subject would still be alive.

"Oi, Kururugi," a voice suddenly called.

"Yes!" Suzaku practically shouted, jumping up from his seat. The man calling him gave him an odd look but decided not to say anything.

"The captain is looking for you," the man said. "Something about you getting reassigned, I think?"

"Reassigned?" Suzaku repeated even as he slid the folder under a few others. "Reassigned to where?"

"How should I know," the man groused. "But I heard a couple of the Viceroy's siblings were coming to visit. Maybe it has something to do with that."

"I see," Suzaku said, hope blossoming in his chest. He gave a quick bow. "Then I will go see the captain immediately. Excuse me."

Suzaku left quickly. The only siblings who would come to visit like this were two people he knew rather well. And if Lelouch was coming…maybe he could do something about that folder after all.

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